Box Score SALT LAKE CITY – The Westminster College women's basketball team opened the 2013-14 season with a 79-61 win over University of Mary (N.D.) on Wednesday night in the Behnken Field House.

The fifth-ranked Griffins (1-0) would only trail 2-0 in the first minute of the game before a Tia Pappas three gave them the lead on their first possession. Leading 21-18 with just under 12 minutes to play before halftime, Westminster used four points apiece from Alli Blake and Kelsi Wells to spark an 11-4 run over the next 3:50 and open up a 13 point advantage. They would finish the half leading 42-33 after shooting 59.3 percent from the floor and make 6-of-8 from behind the arc.

Mary would get within six on a couple of occasions early in the second half before the Griffins used an 11-2 run during a four-minute span to push the lead up to 15 with 10:20 to play in the game. Westminster would hold the visitors to without a field goal for over eight minutes during the half as Mary shot just 28.6 percent in the second half.

"Six of (Mary's) 10 baskets in the first half were threes, so in the second half we decided to make them drive more," head coach Shelley Jarrard said. "We played great team defense and made them shoot over us in the second half."

Westminster finished the evening shooting 45.6 percent from the field and 10-of-18 (55.6%) from beyond the arc. They scored 22 points in the paint and got 25 points from 19 Mary turnovers. The Griffins notched 15 assists and recorded a 42-32 edge on the boards.

"We had five players with two fouls in the first half so I got a chance to see everybody," Jarrard said of her team. "I was really proud of all those kids that came in."

Pappas finished the night with a game-high 18 points, one off her career high. She shot 4-of-11 from the floor and 2-of-2 from beyond the stripe while also grabbing a game-high eight rebounds and five assists. Shelby Ellsworth scored 16 points in her first game in over a year. Amy Krommenhoek came off the bench to match her career-high with 13 points while shooting 3-of-4 from deep.

Brittney Dietz led the Marauders with 12 points with Lindsey Sand and Hannah Larson adding 11 each. Mary finished 8-of-19 from distance, but only made two in the second half.

The Griffins will now travel to Provo on Saturday for an exhibition game against Brigham Young. The action will tipoff at 3 p.m. MDT from the Marriott Center.